Moabit
|
Office buildings along the Spree in Moabit. |
Moabit is a district in the center of
Berlin. Since the beginning of the year
2001 it belongs to the newly regrouped governmental
borough of
Berlin-Mitte. Previously, from
1920 to
2001, it belonged to the borough of
Tiergarten. Moabit's borders are defined by three watercourses, the
Spree, the Westhafen Channel and the Berlin-Spandau Navigation Channel.
|
Turmstraße, the main shopping street of Moabit |
The origin of the name
Moabit is disputed. Arguably it can be traced back to the first inhabitants of the area, the
Huguenots, in the time of
Frederick William I of Prussia. These
French refugees named their new residence by analogy to the
Biblical description of the
Israelites in the country of
Moab, where they stayed before being allowed to enter
Canaan. Other possible origins include the
French "terre maudit"" (cursed land), the
Slavic "moch" (moor) or a worn off pronunciation of the
German (Berlin dialect) "Moorjebiet" (swamp area).
For a long time, Moabit was sparsely inhabited. Its population grew considerably after its incorporation into Berlin in
1861:
*
13th century: The area known as "Greater
Heathland" is incorporated into Berlin.
*
1716: Formation of the colony of Moabit ("Old Moabit")
*
1801: 120 Inhabitants
*
1805: 201 Inhabitants
*
1818: Formation of New Moabit, which grew together with Old Moabit to an industrial suburb district.
*
1861: ca. 6,534 Inhabitants
*
1871: 14,818 Inhabitants
*
1880: 29,693 Inhabitants
*
1910: 190,000 Inhabitants
The industrialization of Moabit began in
1820 when, with the financial support of court counsellor Baillif, a simple bridge was built to connect the island to the mainland. The bridge was followed by factories, a power plant, the Berlin-Spandau navigation channel, the
Westhafen port and the station
Hamburger Bahnhof.
A first prison was built in
1848, soon followed by other penal institutions and a court of law. This resulted in an
exponential growth of the population, facilitating the spreading of a smallpox epidemic. In consequence, Berlin's second hospital was built in Moabit.
On
9 November 1918,
Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed the
Weimar Republic from a window in Moabit.
Large parts of Moabit are traditional working-class residential areas. Some areas were known for their political activity during the
Nazi era, such as the "red Beusselkiez" or the neighbouring "Rostock Kiez". After
Hitler's takeover in
1933 they were considered
Communist resistance cells.
With the fall of the
Berlin Wall, Moabit's location has changed from a border district of West Berlin to a central district in the reunited city. Due to its proximity to the new Government District, many new buildings are being built there, such as for example the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The new central station,
Berlin Hauptbahnhof, is currently being built at Invalidenstraße, where the east-west railway axis and the north-south axis (under construction) meet. It will be
Europe's largest train station.
(all links in German language)*
Moabit in the Berlin district encyclopedia *
Moabit online*
Moabiter Ratschlag*
Online magazine of the quarter management for west Moabit*
Kulturfabrik Moabit*
Hamburger Bahnhof - Contemporary Museum* Saeger, Olaf, Moabiter Details - Schatten im Paradies, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3925191593
